Three Ways To Keep Air Conditioning Costs Down This Summer
Posted on: 7 March 2018
If you're like most homeowners, you're always open to finding new ways to keep household utility costs at reasonable levels. With summer on the horizon, you may be considering different strategies for keeping air conditioning bills from taking too big of a bite out of your budget. Fortunately, there are many methods available to homeowners who want to stay as cool as possible without being faced with astronomical utility bills — following are three of them.
Green Roofs
Green roofs can be as simple as covering an existing roof with reflective material — even if it's just white paint — or as elaborate as creating an entire rooftop garden by installing soil and planting your choice of vegetation.
Painting a roof white or covering it with light-colored shingles provides a quick fix to rising air conditioning bills. If you opt for a rooftop garden, make sure your roof is strong enough to handle the extra weight — soil is heavier than many people think, although new construction will generally be strong enough. Older homes that may have experienced unseen structural damage over the years may not be up to the task, however, unless you have the roofing reinforced.
Awnings
Awnings do double duty by providing outdoor shade as well as helping to keep home interiors from heating up as the summer sun beats down. As an added bonus, they provide an element of aesthetic charm to the exterior of the home. Awnings come in virtually all colors and designs, making them an excellent option for everything from vintage homes to new construction. No matter what style of home you have, you can add extra charm by installing window boxes brimming with shade-loving flowering plants such as fuchsias and impatiens under the awnings.
Many homeowners create small outdoor seating areas under their awnings where family members and guests can enjoy the soothing shade on a warm day. Click here to find out more about residential awnings.
Outdoor Kitchens
Besides sun exposure, one of the major causes of uncomfortably high indoor temperatures is meal preparation activity in the kitchen that depends on the use of heat generating appliances. Having an outdoor kitchen lets you enjoy hamburgers, steaks, grilled seafood, and other summer favorites without heating up your home by using your indoor range. You and your family will enjoy being out of doors for the evening meal. To get the most from your outdoor kitchen and dining area, consider having a retractable patio cover installed.
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